Incredible images of Washington, DC before it was a city

Before Washington, DC became the capital city of the United States, it was a sprawling, 100-square-mile plot of plantations, forests, and hills.

The city’s urban plan was the brainchild of French immigrant and architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who envisioned an egalitarian design for the District – a vision that was a physical manifestation of the American dream. In the 18th century, L’Enfant filled DC with plenty of public space, including parks, plazas, and wide footpaths.

Over time, DC transformed from a modest Native American settlement into the dense metropolis it is today.

Let’s take a look at this journey:

In the early 17th century, several native tribes of the Piscataway people lived on the land that is DC today.

NYPL

Conflicts with European colonists forced the Piscataway to form a new home in Maryland in 1699.

In 1790, Congress established Washington, District of Columbia, a 100-square-mile district along the Potomac River.

Paul McGehee

A year later, three commissioners managing the capital’s construction named it in honour of President George Washington. The district was named Columbia, a fond name for the US at the time.

Washington enlisted Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French immigrant and engineer for the US military, to plan the city in 1791.

L’Enfant had an ambitious plan: to turn a rural site into a metropolis fit for a burgeoning nation.

Don HawkinsA digital rendering of the US Capitol as it would have looked in 1814.

The National Mall’s plan was influenced by European urban design, but was also adjusted for American sensibilities. For example, pedestrians could access it from all corners, which communicated the idea that “every citizen was equally important,” L’Enfant biographer Scott Berg told Smithsonian.

The word “mall” is short for “pall-mall,” a nod to a tree-bordered walk in London’s St. James’s Park.

L’Enfant filled the District with wide avenues, public squares, and parks.

NYPLWashington, DC, circa early 1900s.

However, city commissioners worried about rising construction costs and appeasing DC’s rich landowners, since L’Enfant wanted expansive public areas. L’Enfant resigned in 1792. When he died in 1825, he had still never been paid for his work.

During the War of 1812, British troops burned down parts of modern-day Baltimore as well as DC, including the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress, buildings in Capitol Heights, and the White House.

Public Domain

The White House was rebuilt from 1815 to 1817, and reopened in time for President James Monroe’s inauguration. Other damaged buildings were re-constructed as well.

Library of CongressThe White House, circa 1846.

Throughout the 19th century, the city invested in transit and waterways. Construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal as well as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad began in 1828.

Public DomanEckington Yards, B&O Railroad, 1923.

The federal government grew in size with the start of the Civil War in 1861.

Wikipedia CommonsConstruction of Treasury, February 3, 1858.

From 1850 to 1900, DC’s population increased five-fold and surpassed 278,000 people.

Wikipedia CommonsConstruction of the US Capitol continue during the Civil War, 1860.